


Someone New

by The_Ghost_King



Series: Hozier Inspired [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Tony Stark, Don't Ask Don't Tell, Friends to Lovers, Hurt Tony Stark, Inspired by a Hozier Song, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a Good Bro, M/M, Not Iron Man 2 Compliant, Protective James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Song: Someone New (Hozier), Title from a Hozier Song, Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Loves, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-26
Updated: 2019-03-26
Packaged: 2019-12-18 07:02:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18244796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Ghost_King/pseuds/The_Ghost_King
Summary: A lot of people throughout many years have described the way that Tony loves as being fickle.And it's not as if it's not true. The way he loves is a bit fickle, a bit ever-changing but sometimes that's a good thing. Or at least he doesn't mind.Until Afghanistan.





	Someone New

**Author's Note:**

> It's me ya boi back at it again with some Hozier-Inspo.  
> Hope you enjoy
> 
> Inspired by [this](https://youtu.be/bPJSsAr2iu0) song

A lot of people throughout many years have described the way that Tony loves as being fickle.   


"He goes through women by the bunches, you see him with one for one moment and the next he's already got someone else."   


"I heard that he has a new girlfriend every week."   


"I'm pretty sure I saw him hook up with a random guy from a gay bar once."   


Tony personally doesn't mind the attention and he knows that there is some truth in the press's statements at least.   


His heart is a little fickle. Interesting people catch his interest and sometimes there's something interesting in those who are completely ordinary.    


It's the spark in strangers' eyes when they laugh. The way someone can be seamlessly captivating.    


He's fallen in love with millions of brilliant minds that he's met at MIT. Fallen for the passion with which they do their research. The way they shine when they have  a breakthrough.   


He fell for Rhodey, just a little bit, when he first met him. Fell for James Rhodes and the way he laughs and has never let Tony hit rock bottom. If he could help it.   


He fell for Happy a little bit when he met a normal-seeming man named Harold Hogan who hadn't recognised Tony but still tried to comfort him when he saw him sitting dejectedly on a park bench. Bottle of beer in hand.   


He fell for Pepper a little bit when she came to him specifically to tell him his finances were all over the place. He fell for her sharp tongue and wit.    


And at first he'd continued to fall.   


All the way up until Afghanistan after which he'd locked up his fickle heart because he tainted those he loved just by thinking of them.    


* * *

James Rhodes had fallen a little bit in love with Tony Stark the moment he met him. The guy had barely been old enough to drive, let alone to go to university when they met but he'd had charisma. Although he was nowhere near as charming as he'd be when he was older.   


James didn't realise that he'd fallen more than just a little bit until a few years later when Tony turned eighteen and had fallen asleep on top of him.   


Jim had looked at the sleeping curly-haired man and realised that he'd be happy as long as he was by Tony's side.

Every press article about Tony's 'fickle heart' makes Jim's blood boil.    


The press paints Tony in the light of a frivolous playboy. Someone without the ability to commit to anyone. With not enough love in his soul to love one person for a long time. They mention every one of Tony’s one night stands. Mention every girl that he’s spoken to or touched. Mention every one of his dates in explicit detail but they never mention Tony’s hard work. They forget that he built a circuit board when he was four. Forget that he built a functioning AI at sixteen. Forget that he got into MIT at age fourteen.   


Jim calls bullshit on all of it, calls bullshit on every single gossip rag and every article condemning Tony for his ‘playboy’ ways.   


Tony's heart, the way it loves, indiscriminately and with so much wonder every time is a testament to the capacity for love that he holds.   


Jim loves that about him even though it hurt to see him with someone else every few days.   


Until Afghanistan. That is.

Tony came back, as he always did. He’d risen from the ashes with a miniature arc reactor in his chest instead of a beating heart. He’d locked love up and didn’t want anything to do with it anymore.

Jim had  _ ached _ because his best friend wasn’t his best friend if he didn’t love and love and  _ love _ . Tony isn’t Tony unless he falls head over heels for random strangers on the street because they look at him. Tony isn’t Tony unless he comes gushing to Jim about another genius mind he’s met at a conference. Tony isn’t Tony without the everlasting high of falling in love even if he crashes afterwards.

Jim will always be there to pick up the pieces.

After Afghanistan Tony hadn’t let him.   


* * *

"Honeybear, don't worry. I'm doing great! JARVIS makes sure I eat and Pepper checks in every once in a while as well," Tony says trying to muster as much of his usual enthusiasm and bravado as he can.    


He's not feeling it and he knows that Rhodey has probably noticed but is refraining from asking out of respect for his boundaries.

Rhodey has always been capable of seeing right through him.   


Tony hangs up and throws his phone across the room. He's in the workshop but nothing's been cleaned or cleared out in forever. Broken and discarded parts surround him. He's covered in grease and oil. His clothes are disgusting and he kind of longs for a shower. It's just that he hasn't gotten himself as far as to actually get up. Answering Rhodey's call had taken all his energy and everything else seemed impossible. He’s working on the Arc Reactor day in day out. Trying to find an element, anything at all, that can replace the palladium core that is slowly killing him. 

There doesn’t seem to be anything out there and Tony is starting to lose hope.

He pushes people away and his heart bleeds. A sparkling scarlet that follows him wherever he goes.

Natalie Rushman is beautiful with her red hair and deadly moves but he’s locked his heart away. Even though he can see himself falling for her, hard, even though he can see how enticing she is he doesn’t allow himself to act on it. 

He’s dying and although he’s known as an egotistical maniac even he knows when to try and minimise the casualties he’d make when he does die.

* * *

Rhodey stops him from getting piss drunk on his birthday. Tony cries and cries and cries that night. Rhodey holds him and tells him he’s an idiot.

“You should have  _ told _ me Tony,” he says. All Tony can do is sob.

They fall asleep together on the couch and Natalie finds them like that the following morning. Tony in Rhodey’s arms, resting his head on his chest.

Tony tells Natalie to take the day off and disappears into his lab with Rhodey. He goes back to work and this time his Rhodey is at his side.

His heart, fickle as always, recalls an old flame and starts to spark.

* * *

~~ Natalie’s  ~~ Natasha’s betrayal stings but Tony has never been happier that he hadn’t allowed himself to get attached. He’s minimised the damage that way. It hurt but he knows of the deep aching throb of real betrayal. When you’ve let someone in and they’ve tethered themselves to you and hooked their claws into every open wound you possess. Ripping them out always hurts you more than it will ever hurt them and they never forget to rub salt deep, deep,  _ deep _ into the wounds afterwards.

Compared to Obadiah, Sunset or Ty. God, compared to  _ Howard _ , nothing Natasha could have done would have hurt him like that. He’d still been naïve when he loved those people. He’d still seen his fickle heart as something good. Seen it as the one thing he would always have over his father. Heart. With every betrayal Howard’s mantra,  _ Stark men are made of iron _ had started to make more and more sense. Tony resets his younger self. For his blindness and his naivety. For his boundless trust and the love he was willing to give to anyone that looked at him right. But he knows he’ll never lose that trait. It is part of him as much as Rhodey’s steadfastness and reliability are part of him. He’ll just have to make do, and he will, because there’s only the next mission and nothing else.

* * *

Synthesising a new element that can cure you in your own basement when you’re nearing death evokes a certain amount of euphoria in a person.

Kissing your best friend afterwards. Kissing him because you remember how much love your fickle heart still holds for him. Kissing him because he’s been your rock and the only thing standing between you and any threat. Kissing him because he’s beautiful when he laughs, and beautiful when he exclaims and beautiful when he’s thinking and beautiful when he’s standing and beautiful when he’s -. Kissing your best friend afterwards because he’s contributed to making you feel the most alive you’ve ever felt evokes something orgasmic. Something that even the nine muses for all their wisdom and art could never describe.

Having your best friend kiss you back can fill your fickle heart with love so deep that it breaks any and all icy chains you might have wrapped it in.

Tony has never felt more alive. 

Until Rhodey distances himself after the Expo.

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is still in place and Tony isn’t surprised that Rhodey would choose his military career over him.

Doesn’t make it hurt any less though.

* * *

Tony’s frivolous heart is on the loose again after his almost death but he doesn’t really fall for anyone at all. He catches spark after spark from passersby. Notices the glint of gold reflecting off complimentary jewellery. He notices hard bodies of beautiful men and luscious, full hair on the prettiest of women. He meets more scientists, meets the brightest in their respective fields and he’s mesmerised by them. Knows that a Tony from  _ before _ would have done anything to talk to them. To hold their attention for even a moment. But this current Tony, he’s  _ after _ and Colonel James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes will forever hold his heart.

* * *

Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is repealed soon after Tony’s life has gone back to normal and Tony thinks nothing of it. He isn’t expecting anyone to come. Rhodey made his choice and the climate around same-sex couples in the Air Force probably won’t be very good for a long time.

He doesn’t expect Rhodey to show up at his front door two days after the repeal. Doesn’t expect him to apologise and say, “God-fucking-damnit Tones, I’ve been such a coward. I should have  _ stayed _ but I was too afraid to do so and you needed me and  _ I love you _ . I’ve loved you for almost as long as I’ve known you. Do you think you could ever forgive me?”

Some people may say Tony’s too quick to forgive but he knows his fair share about hiding and something deep within him has always known that Rhodey would come back.

He always does after all.

* * *

“Throughout my life, I’ve been called many a name. I’ve gone from being a Fickle-hearted youth to the Merchant of Death to Iron Man. I went from Howard’s Son to Tony Stark. The man who made a name for himself. But I could have never done that without you. I could have never become any of those people. Would have never lived to see my twenties if it wasn’t for you.

James Rupert Rhodes. Rhodey, Honey-bear, platypus. You’ve been by my side since my first stupid crush. You’ve seen me through every heartbreak. You were my home and refuge long before I realised that I was in love with you, and still am, and will forever be.

Would you do me the honour of adding another name to my, somewhat impressive, roster? Rhodey, will you marry me?”

 “Yes, you dramatic ass. Hundred times yes.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. I personally think the ending is a bit rushed but whatever.
> 
> See you next time!
> 
>  
> 
> [ My Tumblr](https://the--ghost--king.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> (and for anyone who's wondering I'm working on the Of Dates and... Series. New update might be soon. I've got like half of something)


End file.
